VisionEvents were honoured to be involved in the return of the Ryder Cup this summer; one of the world’s largest sporting events and one of Scotland’s most historic and prestigious occasions.

The week’s events kicked off with a Gala Dinner at Glasgow’s SECC before the Gala Concert at the Hydro. The dinner brought a night of celebration for both home and away as teams and fans were greeted by a warm Scottish welcome ahead of the championship in Perthshire. As Scotland welcomed golf home, guests from around the globe traded the putting green for the red carpet with a night of quality food, drink and culture. Amongst the 1,400 attendees were Ryder Cup Europe, PGA of America and Team Scotland.

VisionEvents incorporated the latest audio and visual techniques to capture and showcase the profile and passion of this annual event. The venue itself was brought to life by our talented technical team through the use of bespoke lighting and animation, as our first-rate graphics and special effects made seemingly impossible ideas a reality.

VisionEvents stunned the audience with a dramatic entrance by the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. The 80 piece pipe band appeared alongside the Scottish Opera Chorus from behind a wide custom-made LED screen for a stunning rendition of Amazing Grace. Please see the attached video for more: http://vimeo.com/108563272. The piper reveal was followed by performances from Eddi Reader, the National Theatre of Scotland and stirring recitals from the Award Winning Scottish Ballet. Two international teams, assembled by Captains Paul McGinley and Tom Watson, were also debuted to the audience live on stage.

Meanwhile, across town, VisionEvents entertained key players and senior politicians at an exclusive Players Dinner hosted by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. Scotland welcomed teams and their partners from Europe and the USA with a lavish dinner under the great beams and chandeliers of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum prior to the Gala Concert.

VisionEvent’s involvement in the championship did not stop there. The team were then asked to host The First Minister of Scotland’s Official Ryder Cup Reception at Stirling Castle for over 100 VIP guests and dignitaries from all over the world.

Client feedback:‘With the eyes of the world firmly focused on Scotland as it hosted the third largest sporting event in the world, VisionEvents production solutions delivered iconic and exceptional events to the highest standard for us. Their bespoke technical solutions married with enriched content allowed us to clearly carry the message to our audience and deliver to the audience a real wow factor. The team at VisionEvents dedication to the delivery of our events was a key contributing factor in the success of Scotland Hosting the Ryder Cup in 2014.’

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/visionevents-bring-golf-home-to-scotland/feed/0visionevents success with scotland house 2014http://www.visionevents.co.uk/success-with-scotland-house/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/success-with-scotland-house/#commentsTue, 07 Oct 2014 13:18:11 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=4552Most of our blogs in visionews are educational; either informing readers of new team members, equipment, the ever popular ‘Top tips’ or our innovative design and technology posts. In a one off change of style, this blog is a summary of an incredible event we were involved with this summer, and we make no apologies for slightly showing off!

The event: Scotland House at the Commonwealth Games
Location: The Old Fruitmaket, Glasgow
Duration: 2 Weeks

Scotland House was a hub to celebrate Scotland’s sporting success, culture and business potential during the Commonwealth Games. It hosted a range of events to capitalise upon and exploit the international and domestic business opportunities presented by Scotland hosting the Games.

Based at Glasgow’s City Halls and Old Fruitmarket, Scotland House was a partnership between Commonwealth Games Scotland, the Scottish Government, sportscotland, Glasgow City Council, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Creative Scotland.

It hosted key events such as Team Scotland’s Flag Bearer Ceremony, Queen’s Baton Relay, medalists’ nights and the Team Scotland closing celebration, as well as a huge range of business events, meetings and other activities to maximize business opportunities.

Having successfully won the tender, our team worked closely with the VisitScotland team and partner organisations to plan this monumental project. Malky Todd, who heads up our Glasgow Branch, was the main lead from visionevents, managing the large production team throughout the project, the event logistics, equipment and all the onsite nitty gritty. On-site, he oversaw our expert team and was the daily contact for all events.

Malky Todd, Project Manager:“It’s so satisfying producing multiple and simultaneous events on this scale – to have clients thank you afterwards makes all the hard work during the build up and on-site all worth it. We were so proud to be involved with such an amazing, international event and I can’t thank the team enough for their passion, helpfulness and long hours. Needless to say we are all taking long holidays to catch up with our families and sleep!”

Client feedback from various organisations who held events at Scotland House:

“The guys did an amazing job! Thanks for all of their hard work. You’re new LED display screen which was in the Fruitmarket was a huge hit too – stunning.”

“…thank you to all your team for helping us to successfully deliver 15 events at Scotland House over 8 days! The venues looked and sounded great and our event teams all benefited from your expertise and professionalism.”

“Thank you again for your help – please pass on my thanks to your team.”

“We were really impressed with the level of support we received from VisionEvents. The team were the epitome of calm which helped us enormously during the day. Everything was superb and we couldn’t have asked for a slicker day. Thank you all.”

“…a HUGE thank you to your team for all your efforts in making our event such a great success. We have had lots of positive comments from the speakers about how well organized it was. It’s great to have the technical backup that you provided that makes it look effortless!”

If you are planning an event, or would like to know more about visionevents, feel free to contact our team via projects@visionevents.co.uk or pick up the phone and say hello on 0131 334 3324.

Edinburgh: 0131 334 3324

Glasgow: 0141 334 3324

London: 0207 936 9800

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/success-with-scotland-house/feed/0Investing in our future: the latest in LED event display technologyhttp://www.visionevents.co.uk/led-event-display-technology/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/led-event-display-technology/#commentsThu, 07 Aug 2014 09:00:41 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=4252We are delighted to introduce to our exciting stock of AV and high impact equipment the iMPOSA Mage Series LED Display (VF06.4) … or to you and me, the very latest in LED EVENT DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY!

Here’s a little information about it – get in touch with our team for full technical details!

Key Features:This LED equipment is a huge step up from our already popular Stealth LED system as it’s high resolution with a pixel pitch of 6.4mm which gives incredible quality for graphics and camera display. It will allow for dramatic impact for video stings, daytime events and initial walk-in features and will bring the whole venue space to life.

The 40m2 LED screen can be used for both indoor and outdoor events and can be split into many different configurations and sizes due to its modular design: circular, square, concave, convex, rectangle – the list is almost endless. This allows us to be creative with our stage sets and can be used as signage solutions, exhibitions/stand screens and more imaginative and bespoke projects.

It can be floor standing or hung so is very flexible in venues – especially if projection is not feasible. Specifically black so when not in use, it effectively disappears into the set design.

Click here to see the screen as a central feature at a recent private party event.

Recently at Scotland House during the Commonwealth Games:
Most recently, the iMPOSA LED screen was a permanent resident within Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket, as it was taken over for Scotland House during the Commonwealth Games. We were delighted that the venue was open to the public and used for one-off events every night. Scotland House hosted over 90 events during the two weeks it was open, most of which were backed by our new LED Screen, which received fantastic feedback!

To find out more about the iMPOSA LED Screen, get in touch directly with your visionevents contact or via projects@visionevents.co.uk to arrange a specific show around with our team (among the excited crowds!).

Edinburgh: 0131 334 3324

Glasgow: 0141 334 3324

London: 0207 936 9800

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/led-event-display-technology/feed/0Meet the team: catching up with visioncreativehttp://www.visionevents.co.uk/catching-up-with-visioncreative/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/catching-up-with-visioncreative/#commentsFri, 01 Aug 2014 14:54:41 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=4375In our latest instalment of visionews, we are revisiting our in-house graphic design team, more formally known as visioncreative. Since our last Graphics department blog post just over 12 months ago, there have been exciting developments within the team, and some great creative work produced for a wide variety of events.

First of all, let’s meet our new recruit, Enda McCusker.

What was your background before you joined visionevents?‘I studied Film and Moving Image Production at Leeds Metropolitan University before finding work as a graphic designer for several publishing companies. Directly before beginning work at visionevents, I worked as a page designer for several weekly and daily newspaper titles.’

Biggest source of inspiration?‘Films and visual media, books, music and anyone who makes a positive difference to the world.’

What attracted you to the world of events?‘I’ve always loved 3D design and motion graphics, and working with a company like visionevents gives me great scope to be creative. I like the thought that my work is on display at events and forms part of the quality production which visionevents have built their reputation upon.’

The work which the department produce is really diverse, something highlighted by designer, David Eadie who said:

‘I don’t think I’ve had one day, week or month which has been the same. Yesterday I was designing and printing banners, today I’m creating a set visual, tomorrow I may be working upon an animated sting. That’s the beauty of working for an event production company such as visionevents as we produce a diverse range of events which certainly keeps my work interesting!’

One thing which really keeps our team on their toes is our investment in new AV equipment, most recently with the purchase of our new iMPOSA LED screen. Head of visioncreative, Richard Organ said:

‘From a designers point of view, the iMPOSA LED Screen is a great tool for us to utilise. Whether we are designing specific content for the screen as a whole or utilising aspects of it as part of a wider stage set, we know we have a high resolution platform to make our content look great.’

If you are scratching your head, trying to get some creative inspiration for your event, look no further than our visioncreative Showcase, or contact our friendly team team via projects@visionevents.co.uk or pick up the phone and say hello on 0131 334 3324.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the way the outdoor projection looked! Your team was extremely helpful and we have some great images which we will now use and diffuse widely! Thanks to you and the whole team for your help with this project.”

“Thanks so much for the work and effort you all put into our conferences. They were a major success and couldn’t have been done without your support and patience!!”

“Thanks team; you did me proud! All positive comments received, in fact we feel it’s been the best yet! Thanks also for your patience – I am so confident with your team on board. We look forward to working with you again soon.”

“Thanks to your team for making our conference and roadshows such a great success. Your hard work and effort made them what they were and we are extremely grateful for all that you have done. As always it is great working with you and I do think we make an excellent team.”

“What can I say?! Thank you all so much for all your help, support, patience and sense of humour with this year’s Awards Dinner. Another roaring success!! Please pass on our thanks to all the visionevents crew for their help on the evening and also in the run up to the event. I’ve had lots of lovely feedback about it being the best ever! The huge stage set, screen and visuals looked fabulous. Many thanks again we couldn’t do it without you all!!”

Whether your event is a conference, awards or a bespoke project, get in touch with us today for your event production and all AV equipment requirements: projects@visionevents.co.uk

Edinburgh: 0131 334 3324

Glasgow: 0141 334 3324

London: 0207 936 9800

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/testimonials_visionevents/feed/0Top tips from visionevents: key points for stage design + screen sizehttp://www.visionevents.co.uk/top-tips-visionevents-stage-design-screen-size/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/top-tips-visionevents-stage-design-screen-size/#commentsTue, 22 Apr 2014 11:18:44 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=4136When the time comes to design your event, a focal point will be the stage set on which all the key messages will be displayed – be it a conference, awards ceremony, product launch or a more informal event. Make sure the design is right! You need to juggle a few key factors to create the ideal solution for guest experience and return on investment. Here, we discuss briefly some key tips to consider in your planning to ensure the overall stage design is perfect for what you want to achieve.

1. Venue

This is probably the most important element to consider. If you have chosen and confirmed your venue already, ensure you know the limitations of the room: size, ceiling height, any internal architecture (columns, odd shaped room) as these will determine what kind of stage set you will be able to achieve. There’s no point having a super wide-screen if most of the guests are seated around the corner in an odd shaped room, or behind a column!

Venues will have floor plans and if not, work with your AV production team so they can create a version to scale and they’ll be able to advise what will work best within the space.

2. Audience size

Another key point is the size of your audience. Be realistic. If you have a large audience make sure the screen(s) are large enough for guests to see easily the key messages as well as possibly having ‘repeater screens’ around the room for extra support. The same applies to small audiences, don’t drown them with large screens!

This point can be combined with the venue choice as by inserting table plans according to your event (cabaret – used for dinner/conferences, theatre/classroom – used for conferences, as two examples) you will be able to see how much room is left for stage set. Some rooms can be restrictive to certain production styles, so keep talking to your AV production company for advice.

For instance, if your audience uses most of the space, there will be less chance for rear projected screens which are more suited for large screens (allows presenters to be in front of the screen without the image being projected onto them).

3. Key themes (artwork)

As the event progresses, you will have an understanding of the direction you want to take the artwork for your event. This will reflect the key messages – be it a conference, award ceremony or product launch – the main themes will determine the design route you take.

To bring this all together, you will want key elements of the artwork to be represented in your stage design. Challenge your AV production company to incorporate these themes into a stage design which will work for the room. Their creative departments along with production expertise will allow ideas to flow and with your input, you can reach the best solution.

4. Budget

In previous posts, we do stress that you need to be realistic with your budget. Don’t expect the world when you have limited funds to offer suppliers. Know your budget, understand what you can expect to achieve with it (by liaising closely with your AV production team) and by all means negotiate to get a little extra!

To summarise, our underlying message is to liaise at every step with your AV production team as they’ll be able to advise what will work in your chosen venue, what can be achieved with your budget and also create some exciting designs based on your event theme. Ask them to create set visuals to reflect the ideas and designs (image above) to make your event come to life. Above all, make sure you have an input into the stage design and put your ideas forward – after all, it is your event!

Bristol: 07789 648 117

Edinburgh: 0131 334 3324

Glasgow: 0141 334 3324

London: 0207 936 9800

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/top-tips-visionevents-stage-design-screen-size/feed/0Scotland House at Glasgow 2014: visionevents named as event partnerhttp://www.visionevents.co.uk/scotland-house-at-glasgow-2014-visionevents-names-as-event-partner/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/scotland-house-at-glasgow-2014-visionevents-names-as-event-partner/#commentsTue, 01 Apr 2014 12:16:02 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=4064visionevents are excited to announce that we have been chosen as the AV supplier for Scotland House during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, in a move which singles out visionevents as a leading AV production partner for large events.

The purpose of Scotland House is to celebrate Scotland’s Sporting Achievement, Culture and Business potential during the Commonwealth Games. To achieve this, an exciting programme of events have been planned which are designed to connect people and companies across Scotland with new international market opportunities in Commonwealth countries.

The venue for the Glasgow 2014 Scotland House will be Glasgow’s City Halls and the Old Fruitmarket. These are fantastic venues in the heart of the Merchant City which will be transformed by visionevents from our local Glasgow office located just a few minutes away from the Scotland House hub!

The main aim of Scotland House (and the measure of its success), is to bring people together, and it is this power of evens to unite people from all backgrounds which keeps us so passionate about our work.

This uniting effect was certainly the case for Scotland House during London 2012, which was also technically produced by visionevents. The House attracted a mixture of celebrities, politicians and business leaders, interacting with those exhibiting and the iconic Scottish brands which were there too. This resulted in Scotland House at London 2012 being a mixing pot of creativity, commerce and the place to be seen!

London 2012 set a great example for what can be achieved at Glasgow 2014. We will be using Scotland House at London 2012 as a yard stick when developing the House concept at Glasgow 2014. It is our job to offer those exhibiting better ways to speak out to those visiting Scotland House, and there is no better way to communicate your message than through events.

This sentiment is reflected by Commonwealth Games Minister Shona Robison who said:“Everyone has a role in making Scotland shine even brighter in 2014. Scotland House will support our work to show the world that Scotland is a great place to live, work and invest by hosting an invigorating programme of formal and informal events to strengthen business and cultural links, connect our companies with new markets and business growth opportunities, and to leave a lasting Games legacy for Glasgow and Scotland.”

This is our brief: to make “Scotland shine even brighter…” , and we will be doing this literally by providing our in-house AV equipment, and by helping our partners at this once in a lifetime event in Glasgow.

From our point of view, having a strong base in Glasgow for 20 years sets us apart from the competition, as we can call upon our trusted network of staff, suppliers and freelancers to pull all the elements of your event together, and make sure you capitalise upon the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

If you are planning an event during Glasgow 2014, or even just an event in Glasgow any time during 2014, do not hesitate to pick the brains of our local Glasgow event production team via: projects@visionevents.co.uk

Bristol: 07789 648 117

Edinburgh: 0131 334 3324

Glasgow: 0141 334 3324

London: 0207 936 9800

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/scotland-house-at-glasgow-2014-visionevents-names-as-event-partner/feed/0From Africa with love: charity workhttp://www.visionevents.co.uk/visionevents-supporting-africa-part2/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/visionevents-supporting-africa-part2/#commentsThu, 20 Feb 2014 11:08:05 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=4011A very short post from us today as we had to share this fabulous letter that we received from a young child in the community where our ‘Elephant Water Pump’ has been installed. Please take time to read the letter (below), as we are incredibly proud of installing this Water Pump!

This well will provide water to the people of the community in the North East province of Zimbabwe for many years and will also allow for other sustainable projects to stem from the well and its water supply. Such as planting banana crops which can be watered from the well and once harvested, the bananas can be sold and this in turn can help to pay for school fees for children in the community. A full cycle.

Bristol: 07789 648 117

Edinburgh: 0131 334 3324

Glasgow: 0141 334 3324

London: 0207 936 9800

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/visionevents-supporting-africa-part2/feed/0Investing in the Future: AV Equipmenthttp://www.visionevents.co.uk/investing-in-the-future-av-equipment/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/investing-in-the-future-av-equipment/#commentsWed, 19 Feb 2014 11:13:37 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=3943There are a few factors which will influence the quality of your event. Keen readers of visionews will be familiar with the tips and tricks of the trade which will ensure you are one step ahead with your event production.

SPOILER ALERT! All of this advice counts for nothing if the AV hire equipment you receive for your event is poor quality.

There are a few key assets to an event production company. Two of the most important are our staff and the Audio Visual equipment. Since the start of 2014, we at visionevents have invested over £100,000 in new AV hire equipment which includes: Projectors (including the two 20k Panasonic projectors which you can see in action above); Plasma Screens; Show Computers; Lighting equipment and the all-important Cabling which tie our events together.

To understand why this is important consider the following questions:

• Would you rather fly in an old plane or a new one?
• Would you rather take a long drive in an old car or a new one?
• Would you rather have old AV equipment on your event, or new?

And the answer is…NEW. By supplying new equipment as standard for all our events we are increasing the quality and reliability of your event. This is important because as a leading, trusted event production company, the quality of our equipment and events embody who visionevents are…they are our best business card and advert.

For our clients, the result of having new, quality AV hire equipment is that it WILL raise the standard of each aspect of their events. This comes as standard, and I’m sure you will agree, is a great piece of added value we bring to our events.

This investment is great news if you are planning an event, but for us, the investment does not stop there. Keep your eyes peeled for more investment news in both our staff, and also on a further £100,000 investment in our AV hire stock.

Bristol: 07789 648 117

Edinburgh: 0131 334 3324

Glasgow: 0141 334 3324

London: 0207 936 9800

]]>http://www.visionevents.co.uk/investing-in-the-future-av-equipment/feed/0Top tips from visionevents: how to keep a cool head in the events industryhttp://www.visionevents.co.uk/top-tips-how-to-keep-a-cool-head-in-the-events-industry/
http://www.visionevents.co.uk/top-tips-how-to-keep-a-cool-head-in-the-events-industry/#commentsFri, 07 Feb 2014 14:52:20 +0000http://www.visionevents.co.uk/?p=3775No matter what, one subconscious ability that we event folk seem to possess (or should!) is how to keep calm in stressful situations. Let’s face it; we wouldn’t be in this industry if we didn’t crave the adrenaline rush, the trouble shooting and challenges which typically arise during the live show. Recently, we’ve seen published reports that “being an event coordinator is the 6th most stressful job”, which we feel translates across the events board. Friends ask us: ‘why do we do it?’ And we reply simply: ‘just because we love it’.

So, with 30+ years under our belt and for a bit of fun, we have pulled together a few tips from our visionevents‘ team (technical, logistical and creative) to guide you through those challenging moments!

Some will be silly and some will be ones you will want to have up your sleeve…in no particular order:

1. Flexibility: expect the unexpected

Probably quite an obvious one; it doesn’t matter how well organised you are, how well planned everything and everyone is, somehow, there is always something which crops up on-site which can take over. Take a deep breath, delegate your other jobs to colleagues and deal with the situation so you can carry on with the rest of the day.

Be ready to implement Plan B if required…or C, or D…!

2. Simplify things: multi-tasking versus single tasking

An attribute that we all share is the ability to multi-task, however, in the planning stages and even on-site, one should take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Reassess and focus on the essential elements which have to be completed, taking one step at a time. This term crops up again: delegate. Give other tasks to team members so you can concentrate on the more important ones (including time for your client). This will reduce stress, making the pre-planning stages more simple and manageable.

3. Give answers, not questions

This one might sound like a riddle; the point being that a client doesn’t want to hear you ask them questions about the event, rather, give them the answers.

Saying things with conviction will give the client peace of mind – after all, you know the event inside out, so you know what you are talking about.

4. Keep your sense of humour

Everyone in our industry will relate to this one. When the proverbial really hits the fan, you have two options: run and hide and pretend you were never involved or face it head on and laugh it off (laughter may not be immediate, but it will come!). Remember, you aren’t working alone, you have a huge team behind you who are willing to help at any stage, so chat things through with experts and you will come to a solution. This will also help strengthen working relationships as you trouble shoot together.

5. Smile!

We’ve kept this separate from point 4, as we feel this is quite important. If all about you is falling apart, keep that smile fixed on your face as it will disguise a million issues from your client!

If a video isn’t playing because of some technological glitch, SMILE until it is sorted!
If the caterer forgot the vegetarian option, SMILE until they’ve rustled something up!
If the venue doesn’t have enough chairs, SMILE until more have been hired!
The client will never know…

Any more tips?

We could suggest a plethora of tips, but on asking our team what they thought were the key ingredients, it was overwhelmingly team work, organisation and flexibility (as one), delegation, humour and above all, be able to look forward to that well earned drink after the event is over – however late at night/early in the morning it is!

* visionevents are not experts with stress related conditions and we advise all readers to speak to their Doctors with any concerns to get proper advice. This blog is for a bit of fun and opinions are given in a light hearted way.